In a chilling revelation, it has been discovered that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, had extensively researched mass shooters, including school shooter Ethan Crumbley.
Moments before his failed assassination attempt, Crooks took a screenshot from a livestream of Trump speaking, adding to the mounting evidence of his premeditated intentions.
According to The New York Post, the 20-year-old's disturbing internet history suggests that his primary focus was on executing a mass-casualty event. A US official, privy to the investigation, revealed that Trump's rally in Pennsylvania, close to Crooks' residence, was likely chosen for its convenience rather than any ideological motivation. Crooks' online activities also included researching how to construct explosives, with some discovered in his residence and a detonator found next to his body after he was fatally shot by a sniper.
Law enforcement sources disclosed that Crooks had also researched other mass shooters, including Ethan Crumbley, the 15-year-old who tragically killed four of his classmates at Oxford High School in December 2021. A photograph of Crumbley post-arrest was found on Crooks' phone, along with information about Crumbley's parents, both convicted of involuntary manslaughter for their failure to prevent their son's deadly rampage.
Crooks' research wasn't limited to Trump; he had also looked up President Biden and the schedule for the Democratic National Convention, indicating that his motive was likely to orchestrate a high-profile massacre rather than a politically motivated attack. Despite raising suspicions, Crooks managed to infiltrate the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and position himself on a rooftop, from where he attempted to assassinate the former president.
Sources revealed to The Post that one of Crooks' two phones contained numerous contacts and images of high-profile elected officials. On the day of the rally, his online searches included photographs of the rally location and a local gun store where he later purchased ammunition. Investigators believe that Crooks, after spending over an hour at the rally grounds, returned home to retrieve an AR-15 rifle owned by his father. Matthew Crooks, the father, assumed his son was heading to their frequently visited shooting range when he saw him leave with the rifle.
The investigators have yet to provide a specific motive for the shooting, which only grazed Trump's ear due to a sudden head movement but resulted in the death of one attendee and critical injuries to two others. Those who knew Crooks described him as a quiet individual with no apparent political affiliations. Former high school classmates recalled him being removed from the school rifle team due to poor marksmanship.
In April, Crooks had searched online for information on major depressive disorder and treatment for depressive crisis. Following the incident, authorities discovered explosive devices in Crooks' car, along with a bullet-proof vest, additional magazines, and a drone. Further investigation at the Crooks' family home in Bethel Park uncovered 14 firearms, more explosives, a second cell phone, a laptop, and a hard drive.
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